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It's also probably because that is truly awful, not really worthy of serious consideration as rap. No reflection on the anti-GMO message though.

I think we're past the point of debating whether the contemporary corporate music scene is riddled with conspiratorial references and occult symbolism. It's full of it. What I wouldn't to pretend to be sure of is the motivation - fashion and gimmickry? or something more profound?

nsfw sequel

B.o.B was, of course, featured on the completely esoteric symbolism free 'Price Tag' ... ♫ We don't need your money, money, money. We just wanna make the world dance ♫

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I think we're past the point of debating whether the contemporary corporate music scene is riddled with conspiratorial references and occult symbolism. It's full of it. What I wouldn't to pretend to be sure of is the motivation - fashion and gimmickry? or something more profound?

It's a weird one alright. Thing is, I don't think many of these artists choose their own outfits/poses/motifs etc, so this is being driven by 'industry' types. Perhaps it is fashion, but why so many subtle pyramids/all-seeing eyes and the like? Sometimes you really have to look for it, but when you do it's often all-pervading. I can't put it all down to 'edgy' fashion trends somehow.

Great track that, I didn't know of that B.o.B guy.

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It's a weird one alright. Thing is, I don't think many of these artists choose their own outfits/poses/motifs etc, so this is being driven by 'industry' types. Perhaps it is fashion, but why so many subtle pyramids/all-seeing eyes and the like? Sometimes you really have to look for it, but when you do it's often all-pervading. I can't put it all down to 'edgy' fashion trends somehow.

There's a

of Jessie J. responding to comments about the 'Price Tag' video where she says there's nothing untoward going on and she spontaneously thought of the hand to the eye thing because it 'spells out OK and looks good on camera'.

Which would be plausible if a) she was the only pop puppet doing it, b. the rest of the 'Price Tag' video wasn't dripping with additional symbolism, which is c) confirmed by that explicit BoB video above which visually references 'Price Tag' (which he co-wrote) at least a couple of times.

From what I can tell, like you say, some of the artists are dressing up the way they're told (Jessie J.), others are a little more self aware, but still taking the money (BoB).

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of Jessie J. responding to comments about the 'Price Tag' video where she says there's nothing untoward going on and she spontaneously thought of the hand to the eye thing because it 'spells out OK and looks good on camera'.

Which would be plausible if a) she was the only pop puppet doing it, b. the rest of the 'Price Tag' video wasn't dripping with additional symbolism, which is c) confirmed by that explicit BoB video above which visually references 'Price Tag' (which he co-wrote) at least a couple of times.

From what I can tell, like you say, some of the artists are dressing up the way they're told (Jessie J.), others are a little more self aware, but still taking the money (BoB).

Quite. I can sort of see how she might not be consciously doing anything symbolic, and maybe it is our propensity as humans to copy what we see around us, propagate dominant styles in order to enjoy similar success to those bigger stars who are doing exactly the same things in their music videos. But again we come back to why it is so commonplace....

I'm unsure about the wider motivations behind it too. But there does seem to be an industry-led set of visual motifs around submissive/dominant sexual roleplay and occultism. Whilst I don't necessarily buy into the whole 'kitten programming' mind control hypothesis, I do know that after I first read about it, the subsequent two occasions where I happened to see young nubile pop starlets 'singing' on tv, both times the performances were saturated in feline/pyramid/all-seeing eye symbolism. It was a tad spooky, to say the least.

Brother Ali has been under pressure from the recording industry due to lyrics from this song, claiming creative interference from "somebody I don't wanna name, but some of you probably has their cell phones." The unnamed corporation ultimately withdrew its sponsorship of Ali, causing him to truncate parts of his 2007 tour

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He seems like a sound bloke. He's got some great tracks, some nice socially conscious lyrics, and some good battle-rap putdown one-liner tracks to boot, which are always amusing (it's a dying art it seems!). Check out 'Letter to the Governement', 'Freedom Ain't Free' and 'Truth Is'. His debut and sophomore albums were great, but I haven't kept up with his more recent output...

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He seems like a sound bloke. He's got some great tracks, some nice socially conscious lyrics, and some good battle-rap putdown one-liner tracks to boot, which are always amusing (it's a dying art it seems!). Check out 'Letter to the Governement', 'Freedom Ain't Free' and 'Truth Is'. His debut and sophomore albums were great, but I haven't kept up with his more recent output...

I'd reckon the chances of him putting on Mickey Mouse ears and and engaging in some on-stage twerking would still be pretty low.

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I do know that after I first read about it, the subsequent two occasions where I happened to see young nubile pop starlets 'singing' on tv, both times the performances were saturated in feline/pyramid/all-seeing eye symbolism. It was a tad spooky, to say the least.

Rest assured, the 2014 Grammys had none of that.

Well, maybe a bit

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I haven't had a tv for quite a while, so haven't really been aware of how much this is still a dominant feature of pop music performances - good to see there is still no lack of appetite for producing these weird ritualistic productions!

Together with the symbolism witnessed at the Olympics in London and presumably similar things to be seen in Sochi soon no doubt, I'm left wondering about the sanity of certain sections of our society who are influencing these events (or is it just me?!). Whether or not you or I believe in this stuff, it seems that certain other people may well do, and I for one find that a rather disturbing thought. The patterns are just becoming too apparent to ignore, or to put down to 'artistic creativity' and 'fashion'.

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I haven't had a tv for quite a while, so haven't really been aware of how much this is still a dominant feature of pop music performances - good to see there is still no lack of appetite for producing these weird ritualistic productions!

Bet you're wishing you hadn't turned your back on TV now.

One potential flaw in the Dark Plan ia that I just can't see Beelzebub rising from the Depths of Hades to listen to Katy Perry. It's a longish trip and she's far from being worth it. I always had him down as a Black Sabbath fan. Unless Satan really is a 14 year old school girl.

Even if what is going on is no more than empty-headed faddism it's getting predictable and tired. The 2014 Grammys were spoofed in advance by this video...

Yes, apologhies Bendy

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One potential flaw in the Dark Plan ia that I just can't see Beelzebub rising from the Depths of Hades to listen to Katy Perry. It's a longish trip and she's far from being worth it. I always had him down as a Black Sabbath fan. Unless Satan really is a 14 year old school girl.

Even if what is going on is no more than empty-headed faddism it's getting predictable and tired. The 2014 Grammys were spoofed in advance by this video...

Yes, apologhies Bendy

Interesting point

But to turn it around, surely there is no better candidate than Beelzebub to blame for unleashing the likes of Katy Perry et al on the world!

Will be interesting to see whether the coming Superbowl in a few days contains any weird goings on...

On a related note, it occurred to me after seeing that "behold a pale horse" quote in that video (Denver Broncos) and the subsequent cross-reference to KP's witchy black horse (horseshit?) routine at the Grammys whether there might be any pertinent symbolism here? Well, it immediately brings to mind the four horsemen of the apocalypse... The white horse is symbolic of conquest, false prophets, the antichrist (hmm, very interesting). But surely there is nothing noteworthy associated with the black horse...?!

Of the four horsemen, the black horse and its rider are the only ones whose appearance is accompanied by a vocal pronunciation. John hears a voice, unidentified but coming from among the four living creatures, that speaks of the prices of wheat and barley, also saying "and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine". This suggests that the black horse's famine is to drive up the price of grain but leave oil and wine supplies unaffected (though out of reach of the ordinary worker). One explanation for this is that grain crops would have been more naturally susceptible to famine years or locust plagues than olive trees and grapevines, which root more deeply.[3][13] The statement might also suggest a continuing abundance of luxuries for the wealthy while staples such as bread are scarce, though not totally depleted;[13] such selective scarcity may result from injustice and the deliberate production of luxury crops for the wealthy over grain, as would have happened during the time Revelation was written.[2][9] Alternatively, the preservation of oil and wine could symbolize the preservation of the Christian faithful, who used oil and wine in their sacraments.[14]

Another possible interpretation of the third horseman is to interpret them as symbolic of the wealthy and the destructive power of a class gap on a society. This can be supported by the colour of their horse, black, which was seen as the sign of the wealthy as they were the only ones able to afford black dye. Also, the luxury goods issue supports this perspective as does the grain (symbolic of the staples of the working class) price increase. Such price increases would only be possible if the wealthy landowners and merchants wanted to keep the poor oppressed and starving.

Nope, nothing of interest to our current times here, move along now....